Wide opening sliding door construction for a lawn building or the like



Sept. 22., 1970 E. SALVAROLA 3,529,382

WIDE OPENING SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR A LAWN BUILDING OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 15, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I z up; 4? 1 f Z I Q j W JZ [2/ J0 1 20 J.

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WIDE OPENING SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR A LAWN BUILDING OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 15, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,529,382 WIDE OPENING SLIDING DOOR CONSTRUCTION FOR A LAWN BUILDING OR THE LIKE Michael E. Salvarola, Baltimore, Md., assignor to Eastern Products Corporation, Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Nov. 15, 1968, Ser. No. 776,019 Int. Cl. Ed 13/02; E06b 3/42 U.S. Cl. 49-411 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Lawn buildings are generally made of weatherproof steel of relatively light gauge for economic reasons and for ease of assembly by the user. Strength and rigidity of the structure is obtained by the manner in which the elements are framed and fastened together and by rigidification of the individual panels. However, the use of slidable doors has presented a special problem. The door assembly is a focal point for efforts to break and enter because of the fact that a door cannot be peripherally anchored in the same way as the other panels in the structural system but, on the contrary, must be freely movable. The problem of security is particularly acute where multiple sliding doors are used in overlapping or stacked relation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a door construction for a lawn building or the like which is capable of wide opening for easy access of large pieces of lawn equipment but which has a high degree of strength and security when the doors are closed. It is a related object to provide a multiple sliding door construction in which the door panels, although made of light gauge metal, are securely anchored at all four corners in all positions and additionally anchored by interlocked engagement at the edges when the doors are moved to locking position, thereby defeating any attempt to break and enter by bending a corner of one of the panels outwardly. In spite of the wide opening, the panels employed are so constructed and of such size as to be more durable and rigid than panels previously used for smaller openings.

It is another object to provide a multiple sliding door construction which is capable of easy and smooth opening and closing with application of light fingertip pressure, and with the doors of a pair moving automatically in sequence. It is a further object of the invention to provide an all-weather multiple door construction in which the guide elements, in the form of tracks and slides are formed of inverted curls so that there is no possibility of pocket ing snow, ice, dirt or other foreign matter which might cause sticking or blockage of movement. Indeed, it is an 3,529,382 Patented Sept. 22, 1970 object to provide a multiple door construction which is long lived and weathertight.

It is still another object to provide a door construction for a lawn building characterized by a wide opening and easy access but which does not require that the doors, when open, extend substantially beyond the lateral confines of the building. On the contrary, the doors are alined to form a neat, narrow stack at each side of the opening, making the building as attractive in open condition as it is when closed. It will be understood that the term alinement as used herein has to do with superpositioning in general and not necessarily with edge-to-edge congruence.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a lawn building which incorporates the present invention with the doors fully open for easy access;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a typical lawn building of the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4a is a fragmentary perspective showing the hangers on a typical door panel;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section looking along the line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail showing the slide bracket or finger used with the inner door;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective, with portions broken away, to show the manner in which the parts interfit; and

FIG. 8 shows an alternate form of suspension.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it will be understood that I do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiment shown but, as will be seen, the invention is applicable to enclosures intended for other end uses and in which the doors are movable into stacked position either outside or inside of the end panels.

Turning now to the drawings, there is shown a lawn building 10 constructed in accordance with the invention having door assemblies 11 and 12 which are moved aside to open position to expose an access opening 13. A threshold 14 extends the width of the opening. When open, the doors occupy a stacked position with respect to side panels 15, 16 (hidden in this view). To complete the structure, the building has sidewalls 17, a roof 18 and a floor 19.

It will be understood that the sidewalls 17 and side panels 15, 16, are made of light gauge steel suitably weatherproofed. While it is not apparent from the drawings, the sidewalls are each preferably made up of a series of relatively narrow vertical panels with each such panel being securely fastened about its periphery and having spaced vertical corrugations to achieve rigidity and add style to the design.

In carrying out the invention, the door assemblies 11, 12, each include two door panels which are independently suspended for sliding movement from the open, stacked position shown in FIG. 1 to a closed position in which the pairs of doors, with slight overlap, enclose the opening 13. Focusing upon the left-hand set of doors 11, an

inner door is provided having lateral flanges 21, 22, an upper edge 23, and a lower edge 24. The door is sus pended from a roller-type hanger having rollers 26 which are captive in a channel 27. Similarly, the outer door, indicated at 30, has lateral flanges 31, 32, a top edge 33 and a lower edge 34. A hanger 35 with rollers 36 is supported in a channel 37. The channels 27, 37, are secured to a common bracket 38 which is in turn secured to the lintel 39. As shown in FIG. 4a, the hangers are provided in spaced pairs supporting the respective upper corners of each of the door panels. In the preferred embodiment, the door panels have a width which is slightly greater than one fourth of the width of the opening to provide a small amount of overlap. Since it is one of the features of the invention that narrow side panels 15, 16, are used, approximately of the door panel width, each of the door panels has a width which is slightly greater than one sixth of the total width of the building.

In accordance with the present invention, a track is provided along the threshold engaged by rearwardly extending brackets or fingers which are positioned at the lower inside corners of each of the doors, an inner door slide is interposed between the lower edges of the inner door and side panel, and an outer door slide is provided between the lower edges of the outer door and inner door. As a result the lower edges of both of the doors are securely retained, most particularly at both of the lower corners, against outward swinging at each point along the path of sliding movement from fully open to fully closed position.

Turning to the drawings (FIGS. 4-7), the threshold member 14, which extends across the opening 13, has a sloping portion 41, a flat portion 42, a vertical portion 43, and a track in the form of an inverted curl 44. The threshold is supported by a metal base member (FIG. 7) which serves, in addition, to support flooring 19, of wood or the like, the upper surface of which is approximately flush with the upper edge of the curl. For engaging the curl 44 a bracket or finger is provided at the lower inside corner 49 of the inner door. As shown in detail in FIG. 6, the member 50 is made of a single piece of metal having a base portion 51, an upturned mounting flange 52 with mounting holes 53, 54, and a narrow, rearwardly extending finger portion 55 having an upturned tip 56 which projects upwardly into the inverted curl. The outer door 30 is similarly provided, at its lower inside corner 59, with a bracket 60 having a base portion 61 and upturned mounting flange 62 with mounting holes 63, 64. Projecting reanwardly is an elongated narrow finger portion 65 having an upturned tip 66 which projects into the curl 44.

For the purpose of making the lower edge of the inner door captive with the side panel 15 against outward swinging, a slide assembly is provided which includes a side bottom track 70 extending the width of the side panel and which has an inverted curl 71 which is positioned to receive an upwardly extending flange 72 on the inner door. The flange 72 is integrally formed as an upwardly bent extension of the lower edge 24 of the door.

Also, for maintaining the outer door captive with the inner door, with respect to outward swinging movement, a slide assembly is interposed between the two doors which includes an inverted channel member of Z cross section having a downwardly extending lip or curl 81 which is positioned to receive, slidably within it, an upwardly extending flange 82 which is formed as an integral extension of the lower edge 34 of the outer door. The Z shaped member 80 may be secured to the lower edge of the inner door by any convenient means, for example, self-tapping screws indicated at 83.

It will be apparent that, as a result of the above construction, the narrow fingers 55, 65, which couple the lower inside corners of the doors to the track or curl 44 on the threshold, prevent such lower inside corners from swinging outwardly with respect to the building structure. It will also be apparent that the flange 72 on the lower edge of the inner door, being captive in the curl 71 of the track 70 on the side panel, serves to maintain the lower edge of the inner door captive with respect to outward movement. When the inner door is in its fully open position, the lower edge of the inner door is totally captive, and when the inner door is in its enclosing position there is still suflicient overlap between the curl 71 and flange 72 so that the captivity of the lower outside corner of the inner door is retained. Similarly, because of the sliding engagement between the flange 82 on the outer door and the curl 81 of the Z shaped member 80, the entire lower edge of the outer door is captive with the inner door when the outer door is in its open position. Here also the members 81, 82 provide sufiicient overlap so that captivity is retained at the lower outside corner of the outer door when both of the doors are closed.

For the purpose of sealing the adjacent edges of the inner door and side panel and the adjacent edges of the outer and inner doors, and for making the members interlockingly captive with respect to one another along the vertical edges, reversely bent mating flanges are provided. Thus the side panel 15 (as shown in FIG. 3) is provided with a reversely bent flange 85 which mates with a reversely bent flange 21 along the left-hand edge of the inner door. At the right-hand edge of the inner door reversely bent flange 22 is provided which mates with reversely bent flange 31 on the outer door. Thus when the doors are closed the side panel and the two doors be come a continuous, interfitted and securely locked structure which is mechanically strong, sealed against the entry of wind and moisture.

It may be noted that the doors move automatically in sequence in both closing and opening. Upon closing the outer door, interengagement of the vertical flanges 31, 21 pulls the inner door to its closed position. On opening, the bracket 60, striking the bracket 50, causes the inner door to move with the outer to clear the opening 13, until the bracket 50 is bottomed along the edge of the side panel. This leaves the doors neatly alined without care or attention on the part of the user.

To summarize, each of the door panels is secured at, at least, all four corners in all positions along the range of movement: The upper corners are secured by the hangers. The lower inside corners are secured, in all positions, by the fingers 55, 65, respectively, and the lower outside corners are secured by overlap in the slide structures 70, 80. It will be understood that the same structure is provided for mounting and securing the right-hand pair of doors except that the arrangement is the mirror image of that which has been described. It will also be understood that means (not shown) are provided for looking together the mated inner edges of the outer doors, which function may be performed, if desired, by a simple hasp and padlock.

Instead of employing two separate channels for supporting the rollers at the upper ends of the doors, as shown in FIG. 4, a single channel having a reversely bent flange may be used. Thus, referring to FIG. 8, where corresponding parts are indicated by corresponding reference numerals with subscript a, the roller 36a which supports the outer door rides, as shown, in a horizontally extending channel member 37a. Along the rear edge of the channel is a reversely bent flange 38a which is utilized to support the roller 26a which supports the inner door panel. The roller 26a, and the hanger 25 which is secured to it, are accommodated and held captive by forming the lintel 39a with a groove or step in its lower edge, indicated at 90. It will be understood that two hangers, each having two rollers, are provided for each of the door panels, with the hangers occupying corner positions as previously indicated in FIG. 4a.

The lawn building described above satisfies its intended objectives in a high degree. The extra wide opening doors convert the building from a secure storage compartment to a display case in which all of the stored equipment is visible and can be moved directly in and out without necessity for wrestling through the narrow entryway usually provided. The building is particularly well suited for riding and gang type mowers which can be power driven straight in and out. Nor is there any possibility that a wheeled vehicle might be hung up behind one of the side panels, 15, 16, since this narrow space at each end of the building will normally be utilized for hanging smaller garden tools or filled with shelving for storage of pot-s, fertilizer and the like. Because of the wide access, the building is ideally suited, as well, for orderly storage of the family bicycles. Since the door panels are relatively narrow and box-like, they are inherently stronger and more rigid than the wider panels formerly required. Moreover, when in storage position, stacked over the building end panels, they need not project substantially, if at all, beyond the building outline and hence are largely shielded from a blow from the rear. This is to be contrasted with conventional lawn buildings as shown in FIG. 2 where the door panels are frequently required to move into a vulnerable projecting position in an eflfort to gain a few more inches of access width.

The building disclosed above is inherently suitable for use in all climates. It will be noted that all of the curls or channels in the tracks and slides are inverted so that there is no possibility that snow or ice will collect to prevent free sliding movement. Nor is there any place where dirt or other foreign matter, including moisture with its attendant corrosion, can collect to affect the smoothness of operation. Most important of all, in spite of the use of stacked door panels, the panels are securely anchored at all four corners in all positions of sliding movement, and about strategic portions of the periphery as well, to prevent bending of the panels upon accidental striking and to make the building secure against entry or vandalism.

While the preferred embodiment employs two pairs of doors with an inner and outer door in each pair, it will be apparent that the invention in certain of its aspects is not limited thereto and if desired a third outermost door could be added to the stack by providing an elongated finger at the lower inside corner thereof for engaging the track on the threshold and by interposing a slide between the lower edge of the added door and the lower edge of the door to which it is adjacent. Thus the terms inner and outer as used herein may be considered as relative terms applying to two adjacent doors. Alternatively, certain aspects of the invention are applicable to a door assembly in which the suspension and track structure remains as shown and described but in which only the left-hand or right-hand half of the total structure is used.

I claim as my invention:

1. A wide Opening sliding door construction for a lawn building or the like having an opening flanked by narrow side panels comprising, in combination, pairs of inner and outer door panels, means including suspension tracks extending along and beyond the upper edge of the opening for suspending the doors of each pair for independent sliding movement side by side, a threshold having a track in the form of an inverted curl extending continuously along the lower edge of the opening, narrow fingers secured to the lower inner corners of each of the doors for slidably engaging the track, a continuous slide interposed between the lower edge of the inner door of a pair and adjacent side panel for holding such inner door captive, a continuous slide interposed between the lower edges of the inner door and the associated outer door for maintaining the outer door captive so that both of the doors of a pair are secured along their lower edges against outward swing at all points in the path of sliding movement from fully open position in which the pairs are stacked wit'ih respect to their adjacent side panel to a fully closed position in which the doors enclose the opening.

2. A wide opening sliding door construction for a lawn building or the like having an opening flanked by narrow side panels comprising, in combination, inner and outer door panels, means including suspension tracks extending along and beyond the upper edge of the opening for suspending the doors for independent sliding movement side by side, a threshold having a track in the form of an inverted curl extending continuously along the lower edge of the opening, narrow fingers secured to the lower inner corners of each of the doors for slidably engaging the track, a slide interposed between the lower edge of the inner door and adjacent side panel for holding the inner door captive, a slide interposed between the lower edges of the outer door and inner door for maintaining the outer door captive so that both of the doors are secured along their lower edges against outward swing at all points in the path of sliding movement from a fully open position in which the doors are stacked with respect to the adjacent side panel to a fully closed position in which the doors enclose the opening, the adjacent vertical edges of the side panel and inner door and the adjacent vertical edges of the inner door and outer door being provided with reversely bent flanges mating with one another when the doors are in their closed position for sealing the joints therebetween and for locking the structure together to further insure against outward swinging movement of the doors.

3. A wide opening sliding door construction for a lawn building or the like having an opening flanked by relatively narrow side panels and which is bounded by upper and lower edges comprising, in combination, an inner and outer door on each side of the opening, each door having a width on the order of one quarter of the width of the opening, means including continuous tracks extending along and beyond the upper edge of the opening for suspending the doors for independent sliding movement, a threshold having an inverted curl extending continuously along the lower edge of the opening, a side bottom track having an inverted curl extending continuously along the lower edge of the side panel at approximately the same level as the curl on the threshold, the inner door having a rearwardly extending narrow finger bracket at its inner lower corner for engaging the curl on the threshold and having an upturned edge for engaging the curl on the side bottom track so that the inner door is held against outward swinging movement by said curls over its entire range of sliding movement from a storage position alined with the side filler panel to an adjacent enclosing position, a track having an inverted curl secured to the lower edge of the inner door, said outer door having a rearwardly extending narrow upturned bracket for engaging the threshold curl at its inner lower corner and having an upturned lower edge for engaging the curl on the track at the lower edge of the inner door so that the outer door is held against outward swinging movement over its entire range of sliding movement from a storage position alined with the side filler panel to an enclosing position at the center of the opening, and interengaging means at the adjacent edges of the outer and inner doors and the adjacent edges of the inner door and side panel so that when the outer door is slid to its central enclosing position, the outer door slightly overlaps the inner door and the inner door slightly overlaps the adjacent side panel for secure total enclosure of the opening.

4. A wide opening sliding door construction for a lawn building or the like having an opening flanked by relatively narrow side panels each occupying approximately one sixth of the width of the building comprising, in combination, inner and outer doors on each side of the opening, each door having a width which is approximately one sixth of the width of the building, means including continuous tracks extending along and beyond the upper edge of the opening for suspending the doors for independent sliding movement, a threshold member having an inverted curl extending continuously along the lower edge of the building opening, a side bottom track having an inverted curl extending along the lower edge of the adjacent side panel, the inner door having a rearwardly extending finger at its lower inner corner for engaging the curl on the threshold and having an integral upward turned edge for engaging the curl on the side bottom track, said inner door having a track with a downwardly facing curl on the face thereof adjacent its lower edge, said outer door having a narrow, rearwardly projecting finger at its lower inner corner for engaging the curl on the threshold and having an integral upwardly extending edge for engaging the curl on the track which is secured to the inner door so that both doors are restrained from outward swinging movement from a storage position in which the doors are stacked in alinement over the adjacent side panel and an enclosing position in which the doors with slight overlap cover the opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 6/1954 France.

I. KARL BELL, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

